Rail joint



March 31, 1931. J. c. RAINEY 1,798,698

RAIL JOINT Filed July 11, I929 aKZ/Z rw [27 I f gvwcntoz N i I 16 J c.Pane flg 2/ y IIIII'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAWI! .4 5

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Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES JAMES CLYDE RAINEY, F GROVE CITY,PENNSYLVANIA RAIL JOINT Application filed. July 11,

This invention relates to an improved rail oint and seeks, among otherobjects, to provide a device which will eflectually re tain the meetingends of railroad rails in coupled relation and still allow for theexpansion and contraction of said rails.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail joint having astudded bonding plate connecting the webs of the rails, thus 10obviating the necessity of employing separate bonding means whenelectrically connecting the rails.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rail joint having aone piece chair 15 plate for supporting the rail ends and the othercomponent parts of the device in functional relation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rail joint whichmay be easily installed and which will not become displaced when inposition.

Other objects of the invention not specifically mentioned in theforegoing will be apparent during the course of the followingdescription.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the device in position,

Figure 2 is a sectional View of the device E on the line 2-2 of Figure1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 3 is a sectional View on the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows,

' Figure 1 is a perspective view of the chair plate,

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the bonding plate, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the wedge plates employed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, I have shown the meetingend portions of railroad rails having treads 1, webs 2, and flanges 3provided wit-h spaced oblong openings 4.

Associated with the meeting end portlons of the rails is a chair plate 5formed of a single piece of material, said plate having a bottom wall 6and side flanges 7 and 8 which are curved laterally and taperedlongitudfe 1929. Serial No. 377,479.

nally in opposite directions.- Formed on said flanges areupstandingplates 9, and in said plates are openings 10 communicating with whichare upwardly disposed notches 11. Near its ends the chair plate 5 isprovided with slots 12 to accommodate ordinary railroad spikes forsecuring the device to a tie.

The chair plate 5 freely receives the rail ends which seat fiat againstthe bottom wall 6 of said plate, and driven between the flanges 7 and 8of the plate and the rail ends are wedge plates 13. The plates 13 areprovided with longitudinally disposed channels 14; defining shoulders 15and 16 which engage the rail webs for thus bracing the rail ends at thejoint. Formed on the bottom of the wedge plates are tapered flanges 17shaped to fit the flanges 7 and 8. Formedv in the wedge plates 13 arespaced medially disposed slots 18 and communicating with said slots arenotches 19. The slots permit some variation in the position of theplates when installing the device. Formed in the wedge plates near theends thereof are spike receiving notches 20 which normally align withthe slots 12 of the chair plate' 5.

Clamped between one of the wedge plates 13 and the webs 2 of the railends is a substantially rectangular bonding plate 21 having a pair ofstuds 22 disposed near each end thereof. These studs engage in pairs ofthe oblong openings 1 of the webs 2. v

The bonding plate 21 provides an addi: tional and central locking meansfor the rails andalso obviates the necessity of employing separatebonding means when electrically connecting the rails. Formed in thebonding plate 21 are openings 23.normally aligning withthe openings inthe webs 2 of the rail ends and the slots 1'801' the wedge plates.

Extending through the registering openings 1, '10 and 23 of the webs 3,the plates 9, and th'e'bonding plate 21, as well as through the slots 18of the wedge plates 13 are bolts till 25. These bolts are provided withkeys 26 5;

which extend throughout the major portion of the length of said'bolts toengage in the registering slots 11 of the plates 9 as well as those ofthe slots 19- registering with the former slots. Carried on each bolt isa spring locking strip 27 provided with an opening. Screwed on each boltis a nut 28 which may be of any desired shape. As the bolts are insertedfrom opposite sides of the device, the spring locking strip carried byeach bolt serves to lock the nut carried by the other bolt. If foundnecessary, the bolts 25 may be provided with key portions to engage inthe notches 11 and 19 only, so that the keys will not extend through therail webs and through the bonding plate.

In assembling the device the chair plate is first placed in positionabout the end portion of one of the rails. The end portion of the railto be connected is then inserted. The bonding plate 21 is placed inposition and the wedge plates are driven in until the spike receivingnotches align with the slots .12 in the chair plate. The securing bolts25 are then inserted when nuts 28 are screwed on and the spring lockingstrips placed in position about the nuts. As will be noted, the keys 26will prevent endwise movement of the wedge plates 17 so that accidentaldisplacement of the parts will be prevented. However, should loosenessdevelop, the key bolts are taken out and the wedge plates driven up anotch for taking up such looseness, when the key bolts are againinstalled for securing the parts in their tightened position. As will beperceived, the slots 18 in the wedge plates will permit the tighteningthereof in the manner indicated.

Having thus described the inventionfI claim:

1. A rail joint including a chair plate to accommodate the meeting endsof the rails, wedge plates coacting with the chair plate and with therail ends for binding the rail ends in position, and bonding meanscoacting with the rail ends and confined by one of said wedge plates.

2. A rail joint including a chair plate to accommodate the meeting endsof the rails,

wedge plates coacting with the chair plate and with the rail ends forbinding the rail ends in position, bonding means coacting with the railends and confined by one of said wedge plates, and bolts extendingthrough the chair plate, the wedge plates, said bonding means and therail ends and locking the wedge plates and said bonding means againstendwise movement.

3. A rail joint including a chair plate to g accommodate the meetingends of the rails,

wedge plates coacting withthe chair plate and with the rail ends forbinding the rail ends in position, bolts extending through the chairplate, the wedge plates and the rail ends and locking the wedge platesagainst endwise movement, said bolts being provided with nuts, and meanscarried by each bolt and locking the nut of the other Bolt againstretrograde movement.

4. A rail joint including a chair plate to accommodate the meeting endsof rails, a bonding plate engaged with the rail ends, wedge platescoacting with the chair plate and with the rail ends and binding therail ends in position, one of said Wedge plates overlying the bondingplate, and means ex tending through the chair plate, wedge plates, therail ends and the bonding plate and locking the wedge plates against endwise movement.

5. A rail joint including a chair plate to accommodate the meeting endsof rails and provided with aligned openings having aligned notchescommunicating therewith, a bonding plate engaging the rail ends andprovided with openings registering with said first mentioned openings,wedge plates coact ing with the chair plate and with the rail ends andbinding the rail ends in position,

said wedge plates being formed with slots registering with said openingsand being provided with notches communicating with said slots andaligned with said first-mentioned notches, and bolts extending throughthe rail ends, said slots and openings and provided with keys engagingin said registering notches and locking the wedge plates against endwisemovement.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JAMES CLYDE RAINEY [n 5.

